All Australian

What the 2023 AFL All-Australian team might look like after Round 10

Nine new faces make our rolling AA side as the cream starts to rise.

Published by

Frank Seal

10 rounds now into the 2023 season and just as the ladder begins separating itself, so does the elite talent of the competition. 13 of the previous 22 have maintained their quality form through five more rounds of footy, while some typical stars have flourished into the middle section of the season.

A plethora of players can count themselves stiff to be missing out given their stats or performance relative to team success. The likes of Oscar Allen, Noah Anderson and Luke Ryan have put together best & fairest worthy seasons thus far but unfortunately miss out on a spot.

The three bottom sides, West Coast, North Melbourne and Hawthorn, go unrepresented in this team, while Richmond and Essendon each hold players on the fringe of selection. Seven clubs feature multiple players, with two premiership fancies managing three each in our rolling All-Australian side after Round 10.

VIEW: OUR ALL-AUSTRALIAN TEAM AFTER ROUND 5

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Defenders

Over the past five weeks we have seen two star key defenders insert themselves into this side with some sensational displays of leadership and overhead prowess. Harris Andrews seems to argue his case as the premier fullback of the competition every season while Darcy Moore could be on track to snatch the All-Australian captain honour if he maintains his performance in this Collingwood side.

Callum Wilkie is not the lock that he was after Round 5 but still holds his spot with a super body of work over 10 weeks. Perhaps surprisingly, Charlie Ballard has staked his claim into the side as the league's top intercept and contested marking player.

At ground level, Nick Daicos cannot be denied as he continues a Brownlow-contending season, while Jack Sinclair is lifted from the bench into the half-back slot after an underrated run of form out of St Kilda's defence.

Jordan Dawson's production has stagnated since featuring in the first edition but his spot on the list is sustained in a bench role where he likely roams through the rearguard and the middle.

Midfielders

Through the midfield we've seen big man Tim English maintain his status as the league's best ruckman so far, with Sean Darcy and Jarrod Witts now closely following. He's become a Swiss army knife in the Bulldogs lineup given his effectiveness at stoppage, in the aerial contest and at ground level as the sole ruckman.

At ruck rover, Clayton Oliver's production has been typical, he's an elite contested, ground-ball and clearance player who's been involved in the fourth most scores this season. At rover, Zak Butters has glued his magnet into the All-Australian midfield with a run of form second to none over the past seven weeks and a Round 10 performance against Melbourne from the top shelf.

Marcus Bontempelli remains captain of the side after lifting the Bulldogs into an elite patch of form and taking a backseat in recent weeks to allow Jack Macrae, Bailey Smith and Caleb Daniel to shine. When the going gets tough, expect 'the Bont' to take control of the Bulldogs season once again.

On the outside, Josh Daicos keeps his spot next to his younger brother but Mason Wood is just edged out by a rampaging Errol Gulden, whose last three weeks have served him well enough to earn a spot despite the Swans' woes.

On the interchange, Tom Liberatore just misses out on a starting spot but has nonetheless demanded selection with his contest and clearance dominance, capped off by his goalkicking knack. Caleb Serong is relegated to the bench to accommodate the dominance of other mids but he has maintained his All-Australian form as Fremantle have risen.

Forwards

While it has cooled slightly, the Coleman Medal race is still on between Charlie Curnow and Jeremy Cameron, who both sit at least five goals clear of the next best. These big men are down on form relative to their blistering season starts but both will be looking for some big bags when Curnow faces the struggling Swans and Cameron suits up for a home clash against his former side.

Third in the goalkicking tally is Tom Hawkins who has put together some scary displays of strength and accuracy since Geelong's woeful 0-3 start. He has quietly taken the most marks of any player inside forward 50 as well as the most marks on a lead, while ranking third among forwards for score involvements. He also takes some heat off Tim English who can sit back when the ball enters 50 and let Hawkins take control of forward ruck duels.

Christian Petracca takes up a forward flank spot thanks to his damage forward of centre. He could comfortably slot straight into the starting midfield with the season he's having, but finds himself forward given he is the league's best forward 50 ground ball player and ranks second in the competition for score involvements.

Connor Rozee is another midfield/forward talent who has grown into the year nicely with his good mate Zak Butters. His dynamic ability makes all of his disposals damaging, but he still collects them at a high volume. He ranks third in the competition for inside 50s and is a notable scoring threat himself.

The small-forward position is occupied by Charlie Cameron who sits fourth in the Coleman with 28 goals but adds a unique level of excitement with every one of them. There are few, if any, small defenders capable of chasing down a goal-headed Charlie Cameron at full tilt and few forwards who nail them as often as he does.

Off the bench, Toby Greene adds some more forward flare and keeps his spot in the team despite missing some games. Toby has never been more impactful with limited possession than he has this season as captain of the Giants; he does all of his work forward of centre and is quite brilliant at setting up team scores or kicking them himself.